


About Balbo Baggins...and Others

by KayleeArafinwiel



Series: The Road Goes Ever On And On [7]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Character Study, Cousins, F/M, Ficlet, Gen, Uncle-Niece Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-03-20 11:42:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3649008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KayleeArafinwiel/pseuds/KayleeArafinwiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So, who was the progenitor of the Baggins Family, anyhow…? Five years before the Long-Expected Party, a certain hobbit lass is dedicated to finding out. She does tend to get off topic, though...</p><p>(At the age of 15, a hobbit would appear to be the same as a human child of 9)</p>
            </blockquote>





	About Balbo Baggins...and Others

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dreamflower](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamflower/gifts).



> B2MeM Challenge: Family Trees: any character, gen  
> dreamflower02  
> Choose a character from one of the Hobbit family trees, one who has no other information, and create a character profile of him or her, based only on the name, the family and the date of birth.
> 
> Disclaimer: All the Baggins connections are straight from Tolkien. Angelica's Tookish descent on her mother's side is non-canon (we don't know who her mother was and Isembold's descendants, while acknowledged on the Tree as "many descendants", are otherwise unknown). Isembold's nickname is a callback to my story "The Old Took's Faunts" and is non-canon, but his relationship to Bilbo is canon.

_Balbo Baggins was born in 1167 of the Shire Reckoning. That is a very long time ago, over two hundred years. He was a very important Hobbit, because he was the progeni—_  
  
Angelica Baggins looked up from her essay. “Uncle Bilbo? I forgot how to spell a word.” She ducked her head, and Bilbo smiled, coming to check the fifteen-year-old lass’ work. 

  
“Progenitor?” he asked, and Angelica nodded. He spelled it for her, and she sighed in relief. 

  
“Thank you, Uncle Bilbo. Mother won’t be so cross with me if I get all the words right. Do you think so?”   
  
Privately, Bilbo thought it was ridiculous for Angelica to have to say ‘mother’ and ‘father’ like his Took cousins did. But then, her poor mother had been a Took, and Ponto was very firm about such things, especially to honour his wife. Bilbo supposed he might understand that, a bit.  
  
“I do not think your Mother will be cross with you a bit, lass. Now, then; Balbo Baggins was indeed the progenitor of the Baggins family,” he said, as he watched Angelica write the words. “What else do you know about him?”

  
“He married Berylla Boffin. She was my—oh.” Angelica blushed and kept writing.  
  
_He married Berylla Boffin, daughter of Buffo Boffin and Ivy Goodenough. She had three older brothers, Bosco, Basso and Briffo. But they were not Bagginses._  
  
Bilbo had to agree that, indeed, they were not. “And Balbo, Angelica?”

  
“Sorry, Uncle Bilbo.”  
  
_Balbo and Berylla Baggins lived in Hobbiton, and they had five children. Mungo was born in 1207, when Balbo was forty years old. Pansy was born in 1212, five years later, and Ponto Baggins was born four years after that in 1216. Largo Baggins was born in 1220 and Lily Baggins in 1222, four and six years after Ponto Baggins._  
_The Bagginses were a big family (but not as big as some Took families. I think Mother would think that is important.)_  
  
“She might,” Bilbo agreed, watching Angelica and reading as she wrote. He had come from one of the largest Took families, on his mother’s side, himself. Rather, they both did. Angelica’s Great-Grandfather Isembold (“Duck” to the family) was one of his own uncles, her mother being his granddaughter.

  
Angelica preened a little at Bilbo’s attention, and continued.  
  
_Balbo Baggins was ever so important, because without his son Mungo there wouldn’t have been a Bungo Baggins for Aunt Bella to marry, and I wouldn’t have my best Uncle Bilbo, who’s really my cousin on both sides. Belladonna was a Took and her brother Isembold was my great-grandfather, so Uncle Bilbo is first cousin to Grandfather, first cousin once removed to Mother, and first cousin twice removed to me. And Father is the son of Posco Baggins and Gilly Brownlock, and Grandda Posco was the son of Polo Baggins, who was the son of Ponto Baggins and Mimosa Bunce. So Ponto Baggins is my great-great-grandfather, and being Mungo’s brother was uncle to Bungo and great-uncle to Bilbo. So Polo was Bungo’s first cousin, and Grandda Posco was Uncle Bilbo’s second cousin, and Father is Uncle Bilbo’s second cousin once removed and I am his second cousin twice removed._  
  
_The child did know her family tree well_ , Bilbo thought. Ponto would be proud, that is, if he paid more attention to his only child and less attention to his bottles of Old Winyards…  
  
_So Balbo’s daughter Pansy wasn’t as important because she married Fastolph Bolger, and Lily Baggins married Togo Goodbody, and all anyone expects of lasses is to make babies since they can’t carry on their own family name. It makes Father sad that I wasn’t a lad, I think._    
  
“Balbo Baggins, Angelica,” Bilbo prompted gently. 

  
Angelica flushed and ducked her head.  
  
_Balbo and Berylla’s son Largo was in between Ponto and Lily, and he married Tanta Hornblower. The Hornblowers grow pipe-weed. The Baggins family earned lots of money from this and became even more famous._

  
_Balbo’s son Largo only had one son, Fosco. But he had three children (with Ruby Bolger). Dora Baggins, Drogo Baggins and Dudo Baggins. Aunt Dora and Uncle Dudo are old now. They mostly (especially Aunt Dora) tell me how to be a good Baggins and how things were done back in their day, before Uncle Bilbo ruined everything. Aunt Dora, at least, doesn’t mean it. She loves Uncle Bilbo ever so much. But Uncle Dudo’s old and sick, and fat, and doesn’t get out of bed. His room smells funny. Cousin Daisy takes good care of him but it’s hard. I might help her but Uncle Dudo scares me and—_  
  
“Angelica.”  
  
_Anyway Balbo’s great grandson Fosco’s son Drogo was the best of them all, because his son Frodo was the best cousin in all of anywhere. He’s just like Uncle Bilbo, and even if his parents were drownded, as the old Gaffer likes to call it (Father says ‘drowned’ is proper. But it’s sad, and drownded makes me giggle a little even though it shouldn’t), our Uncle Bilbo is the best Father that Cousin Frodo could have, and I think old Balbo would be proud of Uncle Bilbo for being such a good one._  
_That is what I think about Balbo Baggins._  
  
_And a lot of other Bagginses_ , Bilbo thought wryly, though he was deeply touched by the little lass’ words. “I think that’s enough, Angelica. Frodo and Sam are outside, and I think Sam’s sisters are there, too. Why don’t you go play?” he suggested, and Angelica sprang to her feet, giving Bilbo a tight hug. He patted her curls, and watched as she scampered off to play, pausing to check her appearance in the window as she passed. It wouldn’t be long before she started thinking of lads as more than good playmates. He wished she still had her mum to guide her – he would be no help once that had begun. In only five years, Frodo would come of age, and this child would be a tween – who knew what might happen then?  
  
Angelica was right about one thing. Ponto had wanted a son, and when Lily died…no wonder he’d taken to drink. He resolved to write to some of Angelica’s aunts to see if help might be at hand.


End file.
